Soft Asian Summer Rolls With Sweet And Savory Dipping Sauce Food

SUMMER ROLLS WITH SWEET CHILI DIPPING SAUCE

Steps:

• Put the cellophane noodles, vegetables, cilantro and peanuts in a large bowl; toss with sesame oil and lime juice to give the filling some flavor; season with salt and pepper.
• Pour 3 cups of hot, not boiling water in a large shallow bowl. One at a time, immerse the rice paper wrappers in the hot water for 10 seconds to soften, then place on a slightly damp towel. The rice paper is very delicate, don't soak them any longer or they will break apart. Keep them covered while you work to prevent them from drying out and curling.
• To form the rolls, lay a rice paper wrapper on a flat surface. Grab a small amount of the cellophane and vegetable mixture and lay it across the bottom third. Use less filling than you think you should, if you overstuff the wrapper it will tear. Carefully fold the bottom of the wrapper up to cover the filling. Fold in the left and right sides, then tuck and roll it over once. Lay 2 mint leaves on top, then tuck and roll it over to close the whole thing up like a tight cigar. The mint leaves should show through the transparent rice paper. Arrange the finished rolls on a platter and cover with a damp towel.
• Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce:
• In a blender, puree the rice wine vinegar, fish sauce, hot water, sugar, lime juice, garlic, and chili paste until combined. Pour into a small bowl and serve with the summer rolls.
• Yield: 1 cup

SWEET-AND-SPICY ASIAN DIPPING SAUCE WITH SESAME-SCALLION FLATBREAD AND SHRIMP

Steps:

• Stir together the chili sauce, soy sauce, vinegar, the minced chile, 2 teaspoons of the sesame oil and 1 tablespoon water in a small bowl. Pour into a small serving bowl and top with the sliced chile. Set aside to let the flavors blend.
• Meanwhile, make the flatbread: Heat a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat and add the sesame seeds. Cook, stirring, until toasted, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl and reserve the skillet. Add the scallions and remaining 1 teaspoon sesame oil to the bowl and set aside. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface until it is about 1/8-inch thick. Sprinkle with the scallion mixture and salt and fold in half like a book. Press the halves together with your fingers and then roll the dough out again until it is 1/8-inch thick. Cut the dough into 6 equal pieces. Stretch and roll each piece until very thin, pinching the edges together to keep the filling from spilling out. When the dough is thin enough, you should be able to see the filling through the dough. The pieces should be 7 to 8 inches in diameter, although they need not be perfectly round.
• Heat 1/2 tablespoon of the canola oil over medium-high heat in the same skillet. When very hot, add a piece of the dough and cook, turning once, until it is puffed and cooked through and has some charred spots, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a cutting board and repeat with the remaining pieces of dough, adding more canola oil as needed to just lightly coat the bottom of the skillet and reducing the heat if the dough starts to burn before it cooks through. Cut the flatbreads into pieces and serve with the dip and cooked shrimp.
• Copyright 2012 Television Food Network, G.P. All rights reserved.

MANGO SUMMER ROLLS WITH GINGER-PEANUT SAUCE

Steps:

• For the spring rolls: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the vermicelli or rice noodles and cook according to the package directions, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain, rinse with cold water and set aside.
• For the ginger-peanut sauce: Combine the peanut butter, lime juice, maple syrup, soy sauce, ginger and red pepper flakes in a medium bowl and whisk together. Slowly add in hot water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the desired consistency is achieved. (It should be thick but pourable.)
• To assemble the spring rolls: Pour very hot water into a shallow dish or skillet and immerse a sheet of rice paper to soften for about 10 to 15 seconds. Transfer the rice paper to a cutting board and gently spread out the edges, taking care not to tear them. On the bottom third of the wrapper, place a small handful of cooked noodles and a layer of bell pepper, cucumber, mango and a few leaves of basil and cilantro. Gently fold over once, then tuck in the edges and roll until the seam is sealed, like wrapping a burrito. (It's OK if the first one fails; it may take a few attempts to get used to rolling them up.)
• Place seam-side down on a serving platter and cover with a damp towel to keep fresh. Repeat with the remaining wrappers and filling. Serve with ginger-peanut sauce.

SWEET & SPICY ASIAN DIPPING SAUCE

Steps:

• Wisk together ingredients in a bowl, making sure sugar is completely disolved.

SUMMER ROLLS WITH BAKED TOFU AND SWEET-AND-SAVORY DIPPING SAUCE

Steps:

• Soak noodles in a medium bowl of boiling-hot water 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, blanch carrot in boiling water until softened, about 45 seconds. Drain. Rinse under cold water to stop cooking, then transfer to a small bowl along with cucumber, jalapeño, vinegar, sugar, 1 tablespoon lime juice, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Let stand 5 minutes. Reserve 2 tablespoons liquid and drain pickled vegetables.
• Drain noodles and rinse under cold water, then drain and pat dry. Toss noodles with remaining 3/4 teaspoon lime juice and snip with kitchen shears 5 or 6 times.
• Fill a shallow pan or pie plate with warm water. Soak 2 rice-paper rounds until they begin to soften, about 30 seconds, then let excess water drip off and stack soaked rounds on a work surface so that they overlap by all but 1 inch on either side. Put 2 pieces of romaine on bottom third of round. Top with one eighth of noodles (about 2 tablespoons), tofu (4 sticks), bean sprouts (about 2 tablespoons), herbs (3 tablespoons), and pickled vegetables (3 tablespoons). Roll up tightly around filling, folding in sides. Make 7 more rolls in same manner.
• Stir together hoisin sauce, peanut butter, water, and reserved 2 tablespoons pickling liquid. Serve rolls with dipping sauce.